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🆕 Core Keeper — Getting Started Guide for Beginners

Welcome, Explorer! This guide walks you through your first hours in Core Keeper — from waking up in the underground to defeating your first boss.

🥇 First 10 Minutes: What to Do

When you first spawn, you're in a small cave with nothing but a broken pickaxe and a glowing core.

1️⃣ Gather Basics

  • Punch trees (the glowing mushrooms/crystals) for wood
  • Pick up stone from the ground
  • Collect fibre from ground plants
  • Open your starter chest for a basic hoe and watering can

2️⃣ Build Your First Workbench

  • Press Tab to open your inventory
  • Craft a Workbench (10 wood)
  • Place it with right-click

3️⃣ Craft Essential Tools

At your workbench, craft: | Tool | Materials | Use | |:-----|:----------|:----| | 🪓 Wooden Pickaxe | 5 wood, 3 fibre | Mine copper/tin | | 🗡️ Copper Dagger | 5 copper bars | Basic melee weapon | | 🔦 Torch | 1 wood, 3 fibre | Light your way | | 🪣 Basic Hoe | 5 wood, 3 fibre | Till soil for farming | | 🛡️ Wooden Shield | 10 wood | Block attacks |

4️⃣ Explore and Light Up

  • Place torches as you explore — monsters spawn in the dark
  • Don't wander too far from the Core (your spawn point)
  • Follow the dirt paths to find the first biome exits

🏠 Building Your First Base

Where to Build

Build your base near the Core — it's your fast-travel hub and safe zone. The area around it is monster-free.

Essential Structures

Structure Materials Why You Need It
🛠️ Workbench 10 wood All early crafting
🔥 Campfire 10 wood, 5 fibre Cook food, light
⛏️ Furnace 10 copper bars Smelt copper/tin
🗄️ Chest 10 wood Store items
🛏️ Bed 15 wood, 10 fibre Set spawn point

💡 Pro Tip: Place a Bed near the Core. But don't place it inside the Core's bubble — put it just outside so you can spawn closer to your base.

🌱 Getting Started with Farming

Farming is one of the most important skills in Core Keeper. Here's how to start:

  1. Craft a Hoe at the workbench
  2. Till soil anywhere with right-click
  3. Plant seeds you find from breaking grass or slimes
  4. Water regularly — crops need one watering and then grow on their own
  5. Harvest when fully grown (they glow slightly)

Your first seeds come from: - Breaking grass in the Dirt Biome → Carrot Seeds - Killing slimes → random seeds - Opening chests in the ruins

See our 🌱 Crop & Farming Guide for complete crop data and profit tables.

⚔️ Combat Basics

Mechanic How It Works
Melee Attack Left-click with weapon equipped
Block Right-click with a shield equipped
Dodge Roll Double-tap a movement direction
Ranged Use a bow or slingshot from distance
Healing Eat food or use bandages (crafted from fibre)

Early Combat Tips

  • Kite enemies — hit, move back, repeat
  • Always carry food — passive health regen is tied to being well-fed
  • Prioritize Glurch (first boss) → craft better gear
  • Avoid larva spit — it poisons you

🏆 Boss Progression Path

Boss Biome Recommended Gear Key Reward
🟢 Glurch the Abominous Mass Dirt Copper tools, cooked food Glurch's Heart (Statue)
🟠 Ghorm the Devourer Dirt/Clay Iron gear, ranged weapon Ghorm's Horn (upgrade)
🔵 King Slime Clay Iron+ gear King Slime Crown
🟣 Ivy the Poisonous Mass Forgotten Ruins Gold gear, antidotes Ivy's Roots
⚪ Omoroth the Sea Titan Sunken Sea Octarine gear, diving set Omoroth's Heart
🟤 Rah-Ket the Desert Titan Desert Platinum gear Rah-Ket's Horn
🟢 Malugaz the Corrupted Mold Scarlett gear Malugaz's Skull
🔴 Hive Mind Forlorn Metropolis Galaxite gear Hive Mind Core

🎯 10 Pro Tips for New Players

  1. Build a hoe immediately — wild seeds are free food
  2. Don't sell early ore — you'll need it all for upgrades
  3. Always carry torches — darkness = monster spawns
  4. Cook your food — cooked meals give better buffs
  5. Invest in movement speed — boots and food buffs save time
  6. Build a moat around your base for early defence
  7. Use conveyor belts for auto-sorting once you have tin
  8. Fishing is OP — fish give great healing and buffs
  9. Explore in one direction — the map is infinite but biomes are in sequence
  10. Keep the Core upgraded — it unlocks fast travel and vendor access